"She asked for a negative pregnancy test. Why?" Patrick wondered.
"Doesn't matter other than she thinks word of the pregnancy will make things worse." Martin tapped a finger to his ear. “Roger. There is no vantage point for a shot. Jule and Ford are on the way up to the roof."
"I borrowed Jon's gun. I'll go in." Patrick chambered a round.
"No way. I’ll do it. I'm a noncom; you're an MD. You aren't a loss we can afford." Martin blew out a breath from puffed cheeks. "Give me the stuff."
"Be careful. Meth heads can be dangerous," Tate said.
"Any helpful ideas?" Martin deadpanned.
"No—that will protect my ass when Ian and Kieran want my excuse for not stopping you from trying your hairbrained scheme," Tate's tone teased. His expression was the opposite.
Martin and Tate watched from the lounge door. Emerson "Coach" Davis, a Bravo team member undercover as SPD, was standing with a SWAT team member, who tried to reason with the erratic man. "Tell me what we need to do to end this?"
"Real simple, you back off so me and her can walk out of here. And prove this ho ain't having someone else's kid," Jasper yelled.
"Jasper, we can't let you leave with the doctor. Put the weapon down, and we can find a solution that works for both of us,” Trip Mathias from SWAT said.
Hand resting against his outer thigh, Tate signed their intentions to Davis. He pivoted his body to block Mathias's view of Martin. A pair of bright purple magnifying glasses Martin borrowed from the secretary sat low on his nose, and he held her requests in one hand. Hedges' stethoscope around his neck augmented the disguise. Counting down from three on his empty hand, he walked into Tonette's room. "Got what you need, Doc."
Small tremors moved through Elizabeth's body as she supported her dangling left arm. "Thank you, Marty."
"You do what she wants and go the hell away. I got no issue cutting her." Jasper dug the knife deeper into Elizabeth's skin.
Blood drops beaded on the shank. "Be calm, man. I got it. Doctor, what do you need drawn?" Martin was convincing as harmless with his shoulders slouched in the oversized white jacket. He fidgeted as he worked. Shaded by the thick frames, he maintained an eye on the lethal eight-inch knife.
"I need another set of cardiac enzymes as well as an HCG level," Elizabeth’s voice quivered.
"I'm having trouble finding a vein; can you come here?" he whined.
Elizabeth shrieked when Satanta twisted her hair around clenched fingers and dragged her to him. “Please, if I don't draw the blood, you won't know if Toni is having a baby. Let me help my nurse."
Bouncing on his tiptoes, he let her free. "Alright, don't try anything."
Striking like a cobra, Martin swept her behind him. He pushed her to the floor and drew his gun. "On the ground!"
Jasper lunged, cold steel raised above his head. Without hesitation, Martin fired a single shot into his shoulder. The knife skittered across the floor, and Mathias and Emerson raced in to take control of their prisoner. Martin knelt beside the shaking Elizabeth.
"Marty, oh God, you… You...." Her right hand clung to him as her eyes glazed over.
"Shh, Sunshine, you’re safe. I got you. Come on, Patrick needs to examine you." He made sure she could see his face as he spoke, aware her ears had to be ringing.
"Keller, Slater, check over Ms. Torres." Patrick followed Martin, carrying Elizabeth to an exam room.
"I'm fine." Elizabeth was full of bravado if not sense.
"Let me be the judge of that. Pulse seventy-two." He pulled the blood pressure cuff on the wall, to measure hers. "92/64." Elizabeth was wet with a cold sweat. He and Martin removed her lab coat before shawling her in a blanket. "Let's lay you back." He elevated her feet. "Beth, can you wiggle your fingers?" Patrick checked her circulation and sensation.
"Just put it back in, Pat," she pleaded.
"Is this your first dislocation? He punched you. Did you hit your head?" His fingers ran over her facial bones, and he flashed a beam of light in each eye. "I want to give you something to relax." Elizabeth shook her head to all Patrick's questions.
Martin averted his eyes and swallowed back the curse forming on his lips. Lewis had to be the cause of a previous one.
"Please, just do it."
"I'll try once. If it doesn't go, I'm sedating you. Ready? Farmer, hold Elizabeth's right hand. Distract her."
